Though there seems to be a new food holiday every five minutes, we can all agree that National Sandwich Day is the most important one of them all by far. Southern California loses their mind for great sandwiches, so take a look at some of our favorites in OC & LA.

Ribs are not played as a sandwich enough, so says The Kroft. Announcing "The Baby Back" they have brought deboned ribs slow-cooked and not without house made BBQ sauce and rub, plus sliced dill, white onion, and bacon jam on artisanal grinder. Don't forget their amazing porchetta and fried chicken sandwiches. Thirsty? There’s beer on tap.

The Kroft's newest sandwich, The Baby Back | photo courtesy of Geoff Kutnick of FOODBEAST

Nestled in 4th St Market, you’ll find Stockyard/all of your dreams come true. Everything on the menu will do you right, especially their Short Rib, with bacon, jalapeño, pepper Jack, and grilled onion. Oh, and they’ve got specialty poutines and German sausages to go with ‘em.

4th St. Market’s sandwiches don’t stop there. You can scoot over to Sit Low Pho for a killer banh mi, with your choice of lemongrass pork, ginger chicken, or garlic butter shrimp. If you’re tired of traditional banh mi, however, go for Sit Lo’s French dip banh mi, on a baguette with angus brisket, and some pho broth “jus”. Genius.

This Euro-as-can-be OC legend has a full menu of stuff impossible to choose from, but since you’re celebrating Sandwich Day go ahead and get involved with one of the paninis or other euro-style sandwiches. You’ll taste the the magic when you bite into The Godfather (prosciutto di parma, mortadella, salami, ham, capicola, provolone, garlic mayo, dijon mustard, red onion, tomato, pickles, mixed greens and house dressing). And, each sandwich is served on fresh baked bread, of course.

Lord only knows why people haven’t people been putting meat between waffles forever. At The Iron Press, you can choose from specialties like fried chicken, monte cristo, and tuna melt (and more) and stick ‘em between two waffles. They have sandwiches that don’t come on waffles also, but, why would you want that?

If you’re fixin’ for seafood, The Wharf is where you want to be. They do some fried oyster, fish, or shrimp po’boys for the ages. A great oyster bar and a large selection of finger food snacks will definitely round out your sandwich celebration.

The Wharf's Fried Oyster Po' Boy sandwich

BURNT CRUMBS

Huntington Beach

Burnt Crumbs just gets it. Pastrami sandwich? Make it 11-day aged pastrami. Crispy pork? Throw some chicharrones in there. Grilled cheese? Make it a spaghetti grilled cheese. These people have it figured out.

HOWLIN RAY'S

Chinatown

The Nashville hot chicken trend has finally landed in LA, in a big way. Be prepared to wait in a long line, but it is extremely worth it. HR’s fried chicken sandwich is outstanding - oh, and also spicy as the dickens. You’ll want whatever their seasonal side is to help alleviate the burn.

WAX PAPER

Frogtown

Not a lot of Angelenos have even heard of Frogtown, but it’s about time they did - Wax Paper has become a neighborhood sandwich haven, serving upscale sandwiches with excellent ingredients… all named after NPR hosts. They’re famous for the unbelievably tasty Ira Glass (avocado, cheddar, sprouts, pickled & raw red onions, cucumber, and garlic aioli on Bub & Grandma’s Bread), but if you’re really hungry, hunker down for the Larry Mantle, a beautiful beast full of herb bologna (yep), capicola, provolone DOP, and fix-ins galore.

Wax Paper's Ira Glass sandwich | Photo courtesy of Stan Lee

JR'S BBQ

Culver City

JR’s makes one of the best, if not THE best pulled pork sandwiches in LA, period. Grab a pulled pork shoulder sandwich, some coleslaw and as many of their homemade corn muffins as you can handle. And save room for dessert.